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Category Archives: Press releases

Accra, Ghana, 17 January 2019 –The International Labour Organization (ILO) is commemorating its 100th anniversary with the launching of a new interactive website dubbed “Our Story, Your Story” (https://www.ilo.org/100/en/).The website takes browsers through the Organization’s past, present and future. It also reveals a new chapter,each covering a world of work theme, from 9 January until 13 March.

The electronic communication tools, launched at the global level, is to engage the public with the priority issues of the world of work. Browsers will have the opportunity to undertake a global online tour of ILO across four continents within 24 hours at some point.

In Ghana, the ILO Projects’ Office will observe the centenary celebrations with a mini-symposium to bring into focus the national achievements of the ILO and its partners and reaffirm its position as the authoritative global organization for the world of work. The symposium will be accompanied by a post-event photo exhibition featuring a photographic history of the ILO and policy documents developed with the support of the ILO in Ghana. Read more.

Accra, Ghana, 28 November 2018 – Sixteen diplomats serving in Ghana are using social media platform to add their voices to the global campaign to end gender-based violence. The campaign which began on November 25, will run for 16 days until December 10, 2018. The exercise is part of the United Nations 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence which takes place every year.

The diplomats include the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Christine Evans-Klock, the Heads of Missions of Germany, Canada, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), France, Australia, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the European Union.

Others include the Heads of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Mexico, the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the Netherlands, World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Italy. Read more.

Accra, November 26, 2018 – The United Nations in Ghana, in partnership with the Government of Ghana, launches the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign with renewed commitment to work together to end gender-based violence. This means for 16 days we join the rest of the world to increase awareness and intensify our advocacy to end gender-based violence.

The systemic silencing of victims/survivors and impunity for the perpetrators contributes to an entrenched and endemic violence against women and girls all over the world. This year’s theme: Orange the World: #HearMeToo is calling on all stakeholders to stand in solidarity with survivors and support grassroot activists and women’s human rights defenders in their work to end gender-based violence.

Accra, Ghana, 18 September 2018 – H.E. Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garcés will be sworn in today to commence her official tasks as President of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The General Assembly elected María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés on June 5, 2018 as President of its seventy-third session — making her the fourth woman to helm the 193-member organ in its more than seven-decades-long history.

H.E. Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garcés

Ms. Espinosa, a former Ecuadorian Minister for National Defence and current Minister of Foreign Affairs, received 128 votes, surpassing the required simple majority of 96. The only other candidate, Mary Elizabeth Flores Flake (Honduras), received 62 votes during the elections.

Speaking at the UN Headquarters, in New York, after her election in June, she promised to lead the Assembly in a way that strengthens multilateralism and better delivers on its commitments. On her priorities for the 73rd Session, she said “I think that we are really living in a very troubled environment, and I think it is very important that we really work towards the strengthening of the multilateral system and the revitalization of the United Nations; that we work hard to deliver better”.

She also added “to use an acronym that I have come up with, the “D.A.R.E” acronym, meaning “Delivery, Accountability, Relevance and Efficiency. “The D.A.R.E acronym is going to guide my work as President of the General Assembly during the 73rd Session. So, revitalize and boost multilateralism, revitalize the General Assembly, revitalize the UN system. I think that we all need, and we will all benefit from, a strong rules-based international system”. She added.

H.E. Ms. Espinosa has chosen the theme “Making the United Nations Relevant to All People: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies”.

Accra, 18 September 2018 – The United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) has a new Director. She is Dr Fatima Denton and takes over from Dr Elias Ayuk who has led the Institute for the last eight years.

Dr. Denton

In a press release issued by the Institute, the UNU Rector and UN Under-Secretary-General
David M. Malone notes that “Dr Denton’s appointment… is a promising development not only for UNU-INRA’s stakeholders, but for the whole UNU family,” adding that “Dr Denton is an accomplished senior leader in the UN system, respected across the research and implementation branches of the organisation.”

Marwahin, South-Western Lebanon, 17 September 2018 – Ghanaian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) organized a free medical and dental camp for the residents of the village of Marwahin, south-western Lebanon, last week.

The 6 September civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) event sought to strengthen the existing relationship between the residents and Ghana Battalion (GHANBATT).

GHANBATT Senior Medical Officer, Major Kofi Nyarko Oppong, who led the camp, said his team provided free treatment to 40 people. The age of patients varied from a seven-month-old baby to a 90-year-old elderly.

The GHANBATT medical team provided free consultation, dental care and medications for all the ailments that were detected.

The Mukhtar of Marwahin, Salen Ghannam, said his village folks normally travel all the way to Tyre and other neighbouring towns for such treatments. While expressing gratitude for GHANBATT’s continuous medical support to the community, Mr. Ghannam lamented that the lack of proximity of medical facilities in the area has been a persistent challenge.

“The kind gesture would go a long way to cement the existing relationship between the community and UNIFIL,” the Mukhtar said.

Ghana, the 10th largest contributor to UN Peacekeeping, currently deploys more than 850 military personnel to UNIFIL

Bentiu, South Sudan, 14 September 2018 – A total of 75 inmates and prison officers at the Bentiu prison have received free medical treatment by Ghanaian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), as part of its mission to protect civilians.

“We thought that nobody cared about us, but now we feel better and at home. UNMISS has continued to visit us and provide all our need such at sleeping mats, blankets and mosquito nets, and today they given us medical treatment,” says one of the inmates, who prefers to remain anonymous. He added that each inmate now has a set of essentials.

“Our target is not only to visit the prisoners, but also to assist the local population as well. We are committed to assist them and we will not stop here. We will continue to explore other places where we can provide medical assistance to those in need, particularly the most vulnerable,” Captain Edenezer Menlah, a Laboratory Officer of the Ghanaian battalion, says about their most recent intervention.

The Ghanaian peacekeepers have been providing free medical services to local communities in Southern Unity for the last two years, following the evacuation of humanitarians and health workers due to the fighting in the area. More recently, they have been expanding these activities to Bentiu and surrounding areas.

The medical care offered by the West African contingent is a task that has been taken on in addition to their everyday physical protection of more than 114,000 displaced persons in the UN protection site in Bentiu and regular confidence building field patrols to various parts of the region.

Ghana, the 10th largest contributor to UN Peacekeeping, currently deploys nearly 1,000 military and police personnel to UNMISS.

Tamale, 17 August 2018 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will today launch its Human Development Report on Northern Ghana entitled “Bridging the Poverty Gap and Fostering Socio-Economic Transformation for All”. The report explores development challenges and opportunities in Northern Ghana and offers suggestions for poverty eradication in the zone.

In a press release issued by the UNDP, the report reveals that though the northern zone of the country has witnessed good development over the years, more effort is required to transform the zone.

The report, a flagship of the UNDP, is based on a study that investigated livelihood issues relating to health, education and infrastructure gaps, as well as governance and environmental issues.

The report would be launched at the University for Development Studies in Tamale under the auspices of the Honorable Minister for Planning, Prof. George Gyan-Baffour, and Dr. Alhaji Abdel-Majeed Haroun, the Chief Executive Officer of the newly established Northern Development Authority.

Accra, Ghana, July 16, 2018 – A meeting to table the challenges African Member States are facing in the implementation of the SDGs, share information on opportunities and available tools will take place in New York today as a side event of the ongoing High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development. The meeting is on the theme “Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063: A Sharing of Experiences and the Way Forward Post-Africa Regional Forum for Sustainable Development and Voluntary National Reviews.”

It will be attended by all participants in the HLPF, all United Nations Member States, African senior Government officials, African representatives from the civil society, the private sector, the academia, the media, representatives from African regional institutions and representatives from the UN system.

The meeting will offer the opportunity for African Member States to share information on available mechanisms and tools, their merits and relevance to their specific circumstances towards the implementation of the SDGs, encourage themselves to undertake the Voluntary National Reviews and accelerate progress towards the achievement of the SDGs and the Agenda 2063.

Two key outputs are expected out of this meeting. First, a report, compiling policy recommendations and capacity needs on how to overcome the challenges faced by Member States and optimize the opportunities and scale up good practices to strengthen national mechanism for coordination and integrated implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063. The second is a Joint UN-AU platform for coordinated efforts to support African countries to better implement the global and continental Agendas.

To date, Africa has had the smallest percentage of its Member States undertake a VNR with seven countries undertaking a VNR in 2016, seven in 2017 and eleven this year.

13 July 2018 – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Major General Stefano Del Col of Italy as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Major General Del Col succeeds Major General Michael Beary of Ireland, who will complete his assignment on 7 August 2018. The Secretary-General is grateful to Major General Beary for his exemplary service and leadership of UNIFIL over the past two years.

Major General Del Col has had a long and distinguished career in the Italian Army. As a Staff Officer in the Italian Army, he served as Special Projects Section Chief, as NATO Force Planning Section Chief and as Italian Army Liaison Officer to the British Army. From 2009 to 2011, he served as Defence Strategy and Operations Policy Branch Chief at the Defence Staff Headquarters in Rome. Since 2015, Major General Del Col has been the Senior Deputy Chief of the Cabinet Office of the Minister of Defence.

He has extensive international operational experience, including in Kosovo, Lebanon and Libya. He served with UNIFIL in 2008 as Battalion Commander and in 2014-2015 as Commander of Sector West and Italian Contingent Commander.

Born in 1961, Major General Del Col holds a Bachelor’s degree in Strategic Sciences and a Bachelor’s degree (with distinction) in International Relations and Diplomatic Sciences from the University of Trieste. He also holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Sciences from the University of Turin and a Master’s degree in International Military Studies from the University of Milan.